http://www.idkfa.com/v3 idkfa: syndicated http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4654 It's far sillier than any Star Trek ever was. It also got canceled recently, but they were given enough notice to wrap up the story arcs and whatnot. Warning: One of the later seasons (4, I think. Might have been 3) features a lot of time travel. Like, more than Voyager and Enterprise put together. Regardless, I always thought it was an irreverent and entertaining show. conrad@idkfa.com (conrad) Cognitive Surplus Sat, 29 Sep 2012 03:16:28 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4654 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4649 Huh. I might have to check out Eureka at some point. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Cognitive Surplus Fri, 28 Sep 2012 12:13:00 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4649 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4647 Haha I love when they have complicated sounding words for technology in star trek (apparently matrix is pretty ubiquitous), but the actual meaning is completely vacuous (i.e., there was a placeholder [TECH] in the scripts) and usually simple. Whil Wheaton says it like it is. Scrotor@idkfa.com (Scrotor) Cognitive Surplus Thu, 27 Sep 2012 22:57:34 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4647 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4646 Also, this. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Cognitive Surplus Thu, 27 Sep 2012 17:06:36 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4646 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4645 Well, thing is: I tend to love the scifi bullshit. I eat it up, because in the good cases it is imaginative and mind-blowing and inspirational. It's the bad cases, though, where bad writing or bad writing decisions force an "Explain it away, Geordi"-type situation. It's in those situations where my attention level does me disservice. Maybe the conclusion is: I dislike when writers decide when I should pay attention or not. Or, when they decide when I shouldn't listen. There's Treknobabble. And then there's being lazy. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Cognitive Surplus Thu, 27 Sep 2012 12:50:56 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4645 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4644 You did it! Sometimes I want to rewatch it all. But first I want to watch all the other series ;) I can't see any other pop sci-fi displacing it as my favorite... but then again, haven't watched much Babylon 5. I'll get there. I was going to say I think your problem was that you paid attention intently to every episode (Enterprise was essentially background for me unless it was compelling), but then I remembered that I watched most of DS9 intently. VERY intently. Doing nothing else. In Aaron's parent's basement. Maybe I just have a higher tolerance for soft-fi bullshit than you do. I'm glad you did seem to mostly enjoy it, though. Scrotor@idkfa.com (Scrotor) Cognitive Surplus Thu, 27 Sep 2012 02:37:21 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4644 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4643 I heard at least twice that this was a little bit of retribution for the bad calls in the '06 superbowl. Seattle was owed this... I can't care enough for this stuff. MrFood@idkfa.com (MrFood) Cognitive Surplus Wed, 26 Sep 2012 12:42:31 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4643 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4641 i summed it up in a tweet: "The NFL replacement refs decided that Arsenal defeated the Yankees by a century in quidditch." Which seems more believable than last night's decisions in the game. kitacek@idkfa.com (kitacek) Cognitive Surplus Tue, 25 Sep 2012 20:09:31 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4641 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4640 Relevant: kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Cognitive Surplus Tue, 25 Sep 2012 19:14:21 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4640 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4639 Which makes me wonder how many more times I will hear bad refs jokes today, then the appologetic "oh yeah you don't watch sports", before I head home and don't have to talk to other people tonight. MrFood@idkfa.com (MrFood) Cognitive Surplus Tue, 25 Sep 2012 16:58:26 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4639 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4638 You may never care about football (which is okay), but I will give you this gift: whenever people start talking about it, and you feel the need to chime in, or people look to you for an input, respond with this: "I don't know anything about football, and I'm told that qualifies me to be a replacement ref." kitacek@idkfa.com (kitacek) Cognitive Surplus Tue, 25 Sep 2012 16:28:40 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4638 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4637 Society has demands. "Are you keeping up with Fringe? Oh, well, I don't want to spoil it, but... it turns out that Peter is... awesome." "Oh man, the last season of Breaking Bad... tightightightight..." "You stopped watching Mad Men? Oh..." Expand it out to every sport I don't care about, every political issue I haven't researched and can't comment on, or every book I haven't read (or don't remember reading), and you start to flesh out the extensive list of things in society I am disappointingly ignorant of but still have to apologize for. I have only so much time, interest, and mental real estate, all of which seem to be in increasingly short supply. I have to somehow maintain a balance of things that I feel are interesting and important versus things that make me feel like a part of society (or, perhaps at least a subculture). Star Trek, while not always a great show, hits that balance when it comes to entertainment. The problem is that it's an incredible time sink. I did drop it for a week or so this summer, and watched other things/programmed things/biked around. However, the show was compelling enough, and my interest was strong enough that I wanted to see the story to the end. I wasn't trapped, I was committed. I am not now beholden to watch Voyager, Enterprise, TOS, The Animated Series, or anything else. I will never revisit Andromeda, or Farscape, or Big Bang Theory, or How I Met Your Mother, Caprica, or Dollhouse, or anything else I eventually found insulting to watch. My comment on being "free" was more to express that I'm free to watch/read/participate in whatever happens to catch my gears without feeling guilt at letting my other time/interest/real estate commitments lapse. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Cognitive Surplus Tue, 25 Sep 2012 16:01:34 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4637 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4636 Your dedication to such a Herculean task is admirable, but this kind of disturbs me: And now I am free. Free to watch whatever the fuck I want. Did you sign a blood contract to get the dvds? I agree that sometimes you should finish what you started if it holds interest, but when that conflicts with doing things you actually want to do, why not throw it on the ground and walk away with satisfaction? I mean, is this comparable to running a marathon? Throwing your hands up in triumph for tackling something agonizing yet masochistically rewarding on some primal level? I'm just trying to grasp the idea of feeling trapped. Then again, what the fuck do I know. I've read the Wheel of Time. Green Man@idkfa.com (Green Man) Cognitive Surplus Tue, 25 Sep 2012 15:16:02 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4636 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4633 ST:DS9, What You Leave Behind, Episodes 725-726 Well... my estimate for completion for June 24th was three months ago. I'd like to say I was doing lots of other, more productive things instead of keeping up with my 5 episodes per week, but I don't really have a good excuse. I fell behind. I lost interest. I was distracted. I get distracted so very easily. I wrote a bit when I finished TNG. I felt it was important to do so, not only to justify the time investment of 170+ 45-minute episodes entails, but also to reflect on why I would invest such time, and what that time meant to me. Reading back, I'm glad I recorded some of those things, for they're making me realize how different of a show DS9 is. SPOILERS TO FOLLOW BECAUSE I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THEM UNFETTERED DS9 is by far a more character-driven show. If this is obvious, then that's fine, I'm merely stating, and also framing to say that DS9's characters, and their interactions, were far superior. TNG had a few good standalone characters (Picard, Data, sometimes Worf, sometimes Guinan), but often character interaction was a little flat, and tended to play second fiddle to the ridiculousness of whatever Trek-plot happened to have them imperiled. It was rare that two TNG characters' interactions went to the depths that DS9 went. Odo's pained longing after Kira (for 5 goddamn seasons), or Worf and Jadzia's courtship/marriage, or the series-long bros-for-life camaraderie of Bashir and O'Brien. There were even a compelling and interesting villains in Eddington, Gul Dukat, and Weyoun, who ended up making a great foils throughout the series. I'll admit: TNG was certainly under different direction than DS9, but having seen how characters in the Star Trek universe could be handled, it made me wish it'd been done that way all along. That isn't to say there weren't weak characters, or weak storylines. Anything to do with Jake Sisko made me kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Cognitive Surplus Tue, 25 Sep 2012 03:03:32 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4633 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4632 THE END IS SO GOOD. Scrotor@idkfa.com (Scrotor) Cognitive Surplus Tue, 25 Sep 2012 01:51:58 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4632 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4624 ST:DS9, The Dogs of War, Episode 724 Wrapping up loose ends like nobody's business. And by wrapping up, I mean giving most of the main players enough screen time before the end of the show to satisfy their egos/contracts. I have only the 1.5 hour season finale left. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Cognitive Surplus Mon, 24 Sep 2012 13:48:02 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4624 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4617 ST:DS9, 'Til Death Do Us Part, Episode 718 After finally acquiring the last of the DS9 DVDs, I'm able to finish out the last few episodes. Hopefully I'll be able to knock them out this week. Anyhow, second episode in the final arc. 7-8 episodes left. I can almost taste victory. SPOILERS. I'm of the opinion that the Prophets should leave Sisko and Cassidy Yates alone. The people who shouldn't be hooking up? Worf and Ezri. They know full well they aren't supposed to be getting involved with relationships from past hosts. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Cognitive Surplus Wed, 19 Sep 2012 17:43:13 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4617 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4534 ST:DS9, Chimera, Episode 714. And I'm still not done. Sort of a strange episode, and unfortunately one of the weaker Odo episodes (in my opinion). I liked that they introduced another non-Founder changeling, but I dislike that he was an elitist bag of dicks that could somehow "swim" through space at sub-warp speeds. It did, however, provide more detail into Odo and Kira's otherwise mostly unexplored relationship. And by detail, I'm fairly sure the episode ends with Odo turning into a luminescent fog and Kira dancing around "inside" him. Which I guess is... I don't know... hot? I know there's such a thing as erotic asphyxiation, but erotic respiration? (shrugs) Whatever you say, Rick Berman. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Cognitive Surplus Mon, 20 Aug 2012 16:55:21 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4534 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4393 If you count the Voyager episodes as canon, Dr. Zimmerman is an unabashed asshole. How in god's name he could ever attract a woman (or man, for that matter) is completely beyond me. In an episode where the EMH (Mark I) is transported halfway across the goddam galaxy to treat him, Dr. Zimmerman behaves like an oxheaded child for the entire episode. I suppose, however, I should be thankful that, in the Star Trek universe, everyone can get some ass. conrad@idkfa.com (conrad) Cognitive Surplus Thu, 14 Jun 2012 00:01:53 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4393 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4392 ST:DS9, Doctor Bashir, I presume?, Episode 516 This episode is interesting. It follows episodes 514/515, which is a two-part episode where the Cardassian Empire joins the Dominion, a Dominion Fleet invades, Worf, Bashir, and Garak are taken prisoner in a Dominion prison, and all sorts of crazy, awesome stuff happens. And this episode has to follow that act. In prior Treks, this would be a filler episode. Some light-hearted holodeck mishap, a mysterious visitor on the ship for X to fall in love with, etc. etc. And this was a filler episode. But it was a filler episode in which something actually happens. And has consequences. And adds something interesting to the Star Trek universe. The show has been off the air for more than 10 years, but feel free to stop reading if you think you'll be spoilered. Dr. Zimmerman, of Voyager's EMH fame, comes to DS9 to make a long-term hologram out of Dr. Bashir. In his investigations, it is revealed that Bashir's parents took him to be genetically enhanced (in response to his being subject to some non-specific developmental issues as a child). The procedure, being illegal, threatens to end Dr. Bashir's career, and shame him and his family for their "secret." As a side story, Dr. Zimmerman romantically pursues Leeta (the Dabo girl in Quark's bar), much to the disdain of Rom, who is secretly in love with her. Things that I like about this episode: For the first time, a character's ability to pull magical, technological/medical solutions out of thin air is given some credence by virtue of the "genetic enhancement." Julian and his father have brutal conversations about achievement, success, and failure to acquire either. Chase Masterson in a bath towel. Julian's father actually accepts jail time in a plea bargain to let his son keep his Starfleet career. Find out that despite the EMH's personality, Dr. Zimmerman is kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Cognitive Surplus Wed, 13 Jun 2012 16:06:06 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4392 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4318 ST:DS9, Hard Time, Episode 419 Dark, man. Dark. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Cognitive Surplus Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:00:50 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4318 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4317 ST:DS9, Rules of Engagement, Episode 418 Pretty great episode, if for nothing else than the end dialogue between Sisko and Worf. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Cognitive Surplus Sat, 21 Apr 2012 20:13:42 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4317 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4287 ST:DS9, Paradise Lost, Episode 412 Awesome episode. Pretty much everything I want from Star Trek: Space Battles Worf Killing Things Intrigue Good dialogue It was... a little wonky when a Changeling showed up to taunt Sisko as Chief O'Brien. Even if Sisko was trying to keep a coup of the Federation from happening, maybe he should have... you know... reported his conversation with the Changeling. Instead, he went to get coffee at his dad's restaurant. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Cognitive Surplus Fri, 30 Mar 2012 17:28:02 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4287 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4284 ST:DS9, Homefront, Episode 411 Getting to some of the good stuff I remember about DS9: asking the hard questions about being at war. Also, probably one of the more awesome things I've seen come out of Star Trek in a long time, this quote: "Our gods are dead. Ancient Klingon warriors slew them millenia ago. They were...more trouble than they were worth." - Worf kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Cognitive Surplus Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:37:27 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4284 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4283 ST:DS9, The Sword of Kahless, Episode 409 The Wikipedia summary for this guy is a single paragraph. And that's about all there was to this episode. Blah, blah, Klingon honor, blah blah, over-the-top acting. I'll say this: my employers would not be nearly as accommodating if I told them I was going to take time off to track down an ancient sword. Or kill an albino. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Cognitive Surplus Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:40:04 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4283 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4282 ST:DS9, Little Green Men, Episode 408 Sorta fun. Quark, Rom, and Nog mysteriously travel time back to 1947, and are supposed to be the "Martians" that crash land during the Roswell incident. Campy as hell, but I guess sometimes that's alright. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Cognitive Surplus Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:30:41 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4282 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4270 ST:DS9, Rejoined, Episode 406 Dax has makeouts with one of her (female) exes. It was awkward watching it during my lunch hour. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Cognitive Surplus Mon, 26 Mar 2012 17:31:38 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4270 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4262 ST:DS9, Indiscretion, Episode 405 Sisko has lady-troubles, and Kira has to tolerate Gul Dukat for a week. Quark: "You Hu-mons... all you want to do is please your women. You want them to be your friends, but we Ferengi know better. Women are the enemy and we treat them accordingly. The key is to never let them get the upper hand. If she says she doesn't see you enough, you threaten to see her even less. If she wants more gifts, take back the ones you've already given her. It's all about control." Dax: "What if your woman leaves you?" Quark: "That's what holosuites are for." kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Cognitive Surplus Thu, 22 Mar 2012 16:34:54 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4262 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4259 ST:DS9, Hippocratic Oath, Episode 403 I like my Jem'Hadar mean, soul-less, killing machines, addicted to white, and doing the Founder's dirty work. Anything suggesting otherwise sort of undermines everything I've come to fear about the Dominion. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Cognitive Surplus Wed, 21 Mar 2012 20:33:15 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4259 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4240 "You are too late. We are everywhere." This is where shit starts gettin' reeeeal good. Scrotor@idkfa.com (Scrotor) Cognitive Surplus Fri, 16 Mar 2012 13:28:20 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4240 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4239 ST:DS9, The Adversary, Episode 326 Sort of a dark end to a season. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Cognitive Surplus Thu, 15 Mar 2012 22:08:20 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4239 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4229 ST:DS9, Facets, Episode 325 Jake Sisko: (to Nog) "You should know not to end a program sitting down..." Well, I'm glad somebody addressed that. Anyhow. Weird, awkward episode. But I guess we finally got to meet Curzon. But some of the plot points were so strange... I kind of preferred only ever hearing about Curzon. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Cognitive Surplus Mon, 12 Mar 2012 01:59:27 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4229 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4210 I shall gird myself. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Cognitive Surplus Tue, 06 Mar 2012 02:01:18 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4210 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4208 Also, get ready for some absolutely shitty episodes for a while. Until the end of the season, essentially. Scrotor@idkfa.com (Scrotor) Cognitive Surplus Tue, 06 Mar 2012 01:53:45 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4208 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4207 Lol, I assume that means you liked the episodes. These two were a good pair, if I remember correctly. Scrotor@idkfa.com (Scrotor) Cognitive Surplus Tue, 06 Mar 2012 01:50:33 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4207 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4204 ST:DS9, Improbable Cause and The Die is Cast, Episodes 320 and 321. Garak: "Do you know what the sad part is, Odo? I'm a very good tailor." kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Cognitive Surplus Mon, 05 Mar 2012 22:26:03 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4204 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4202 ST:DS9, Through the Looking Glass, Episode 319 You know it'll be a good episode when they say the name of the episode just before the cut to title sequence. Alt-universe O'Brien captures commander Sisko to do something in the parallel universe. And by something, I mean alt-Dax. Nobody seems that concerned. Also, it occurred to be that replicators break the Star Trek universe even more, given that there are hundreds, if not thousands of programmable recipes, schematics, etc., all user-configurable by ship crew. Given that replicators and transporters are based on the same technological basis (whatever that is), and that "storage concerns" seem to be ignored when it comes to replicators, why can't humans be replicated? This is why I can never get into writing Trek fan-fiction. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Cognitive Surplus Sat, 03 Mar 2012 20:48:20 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4202 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4168 Garak was very well written. They never revealed too much about him. Scrotor@idkfa.com (Scrotor) Cognitive Surplus Tue, 28 Feb 2012 02:33:34 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4168 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4167 ST:DS9, Distance Voices, Episode 318 Bashir gets put into a coma after a telepathic attack from an alien burglar. The episode was crap, except for the last lines. Garak: "What I find interesting is how your mind ended up casting me in the role of the villain." Doctor Bashir: "Oh, I wouldn't read too much into that, Garak." Garak: "Oh, how can I not? To think, after all this time, all our lunches together, you still don't trust me. There's hope for you yet, Doctor." kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Cognitive Surplus Tue, 28 Feb 2012 02:27:08 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4167 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4154 ST:DS9, Visionary, Episode 317 At some point, future O'Brien says to current O'Brien: "I hate temporal mechanics!" It pretty much sums up the episode for me as well. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Cognitive Surplus Fri, 24 Feb 2012 17:03:52 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4154 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4054 ST:DS9, Past Tense, Episode 311-312 Earth's dark past, blah, blah... went back in time, blah, blah, now we have to fix the timeline, blah, blah... An outdated and inelegant two-part episode about class inequality. I honestly don't know what they were going for. I fell asleep during the second half. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Cognitive Surplus Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:43:39 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4054 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4046 But holorape is consequence-free rape. Scrotor@idkfa.com (Scrotor) Cognitive Surplus Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:42:24 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4046 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4045 I'll withhold judgment until his characters stop trying to holorape Kira. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Cognitive Surplus Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:16:43 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4045 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4044 Note that this is the first appearance of Jeffrey Combs... he plans at least half a dozen characters in the series, including one episode where he plays two characters (!). He is pretty fucking awesome. And you know that an episode is sad when the silly side plot is less silly than the main plot. Scrotor@idkfa.com (Scrotor) Cognitive Surplus Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:11:35 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4044 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4043 ST:DS9, Meridian, 308 Sisko inexplicably decides to take the Defiant on a pleasure cruise to the Gamma quadrant, ignoring the imminent Dominion threat. During which, a planet suddenly appears out of another dimension, and happen to be friendly enough neighbors to invite the senior crew of the Defiant to a picnic. Dax, for some reason, becomes interested in a man from the planet. It's the same old story: star-crossed lovers, each from a different dimension, falling madly in love with each other. Dax even goes so far as to change her molecular structure to be with him. But physics gets the best of her. Meanwhile, back at the station, Quark tries surreptitiously holo-filming Major Kira at the request of one of his creeper customers. Quark succeeds, but not without alerting Odo and Kira to his activities. Hilarity ensues when we see Kira in sultry evening-wear, but instead of her own head, Kira and Odo replace holo-Kira's head with Quark's. Quark loses his customer. Thank you, Jonathan Frakes, for directing this masterpiece. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Cognitive Surplus Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:57:29 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4043 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4041 ST:DS9, Civil Defense, 307 This is a weird episode to have show up in the third season. Jake, O'Brien, and Sisko end up tripping a counter-rebellion mechanism left in place by the Cardassians. There are lots of problems with the notion (In three years they wouldn't have identified neurotoxin gases still in the ore processing facilities? There are still ore processing facilities? And why didn't they just purge the system computer and replace it with a Federation computer core? And wouldn't O'Brien have known better than to transfer an unknown, unnamed file into the main computer memory?) Anyhow. A comedy of errors ensues as they take the absolute wrong steps to regain control of the station. And their fusion reactors do overload, and only the station shields are able to "contain" the energy. But they contain it inside the station... and there's a fancy computer graphics scene with lightning shooting from the core of the station to the shields... somehow not frying everyone within... Hmm. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Cognitive Surplus Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:02:30 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4041 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4029 Well, Blood Oath is awesome only if you know this: "This episode is noteworthy for featuring the appearances of three Klingon characters from the original Star Trek series, all played by the original actors." That is badass! Playing God sucks, though. Scrotor@idkfa.com (Scrotor) Cognitive Surplus Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:57:52 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4029 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4028 It did expose some interesting facts... but I didn't want to spoil them. I was more commenting on that this is only Dax's fifth character-centric storyline. And that most of the episodes have only been interesting because of other guest characters (Dax, Invasive Procedures). Or they have been terrible (Blood Oath, Playing God). kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Cognitive Surplus Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:38:00 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4028 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4027 I kind of like that episode because it fills in detail about trill society. Other than that, it totally sucks. Scrotor@idkfa.com (Scrotor) Cognitive Surplus Wed, 25 Jan 2012 03:04:36 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4027 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4026 ST:DS9, Equilibrium, 304 Dax... tries to hold a plot line all by herself. Fails. We learn that Commander Sisko isn't above abusing the excessive shore leave afforded by his rank, despite the looming threat of the Dominion on the other side of the wormhole. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Cognitive Surplus Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:56:56 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=3717&msg_id=4026